Synthetic thread manufacturing apparatus



Dec. 20, 1955 KULJIAN 2,727,274

SYNTHETIC THREAD MANUFACTURING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 16, 1955 'EN TOR.

INI HARRY A. KULJIAN BY United States Patent Ofifice 2,72 7,2 74 Patented Dec. 20, 1955 SYNTHETIC THREAD MANUFACTURING APPARATUS Harry A. Kuljian, Merion, Pa. Application February 16, 1953, Serial No. 336,942 2 Claims. (Cl. 18-8) in the manufacture of synthetic filaments, the viscose solution is extruded, through a spinnerette, into a coagulating bath and the freshly coagulated filament is then treated with various liquids to complete its regeneration after which the filament is dried.

This invention relates to improvements in the method of, and in the apparatus for, manufacturing synthetic filaments.

It is well known that, by moving the ambient air past a wet object, the object, other things being equal, will dry more quickly than if the ambient air was still. This is due to saturation, or partial saturation, of the air immediately surrounding the object to be dried and to the development of increased vapor tension in the immediate vicinity of such object which factors retard the rate of evaporation.

i have discovered that approximately the same conditions prevail in the initial coagulation and regeneration of a viscose filament. Thus, when the viscose solution is extruded into the coagulating bath, it at once coagulates into a somewhat gelatinous filament. But, in so doing, the filament more or less vitiates the liquid of the coagulating bath in its immediate vicinity and, at least theoretically, in the absence of relative movement between the filament and the liquid, the regeneration of the filament will be considerably retarded.

When the filament is pulled out of the bath at the desired speed, there will be some agitation of the coagulating liquid. But, in the absence of circulation, or other positive agitation of the liquid, it can be said that the filament in moving through the coagulating bath, is really moving through a substantially stationary envelope or sheath of liquid which becomes progressively more vitiated. This is one reason why the regeneration of a freshly coagulated filament is so little advanced when it emerges from the coagulating bath.

It is therefore an object of the invention to produce an improved apparatus and an improved method of manufacture whereby the regeneration of a freshly coagulated filament will be further advanced when the filament leaves the coagulating bath than it has heretofore been so as to improve the quality of the filament and so as to shorten the subsequent process of regeneration.

The nature of the invention is more fully set forth in the following specification and the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a diagrammatic and fragmentary side elevational view of a synthetic thread manufacturing apparatus embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken on line 22 on Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a greatly enlarged view of the upper right hand portion of Fig. l more clearly to show the details of the invention.

The apparatus shown in Figs. 1 and 2 includes a number of rolls 1 to 17 which are arranged in a circle about a center post 18 to form a reel. The axes of the rolls are skewed relative to the axis of the post 18 so that when a filament 20 is wound about'the reel and the rolls are rotated about their axes, the filament will move, in the form of a helix encircling all of the rolls, from the right hand end of the reel, as'shown inFig. l to the left hand thereof from which the filament is taken up by a twister or bobbin 22'or the like for 'storage'or for further treatment. The rolls and the center post have their ends supported in outer and inner-end plates "24 and 2'6 and the entire reel is supported, in'cantilever fashion, from a suitable frame not shown. The rolls are rotated about their axes by means of individual gears 28 which engage a gear 30 which is driven by motor M. Above one of the uppermost rolls, such as roll 10, are a number of nozzles N for supplying the various treating liquids and Washes, such as an alkali solution (sodium sulphate or the like), an acid solution (sulphuric acid or the like) and various washes (soap, water, etc.), to the filament as it passes over the reel. In order to remove excess liquids, scrapers 32 and 34 are arranged to contact inner portions of the surfaces of the rolls as shown in Fig. 2. Also, as shown in this figure, a trough 36 is provided to receive the liquids scraped oflf these rolls and suitable drain pipes 38 are provided for carrying off liquids from the trough.

Conventionally, the filament is formed by extruding the viscose solution into a coagulating bath, passing the filament over godet wheels 42 and then winding or lacing it around the reel.

vent it from contacting the interior of the tube 54A. In order to make sure that the interior of the funnel is at all times full of coagulating liquid and in order to increase the pull of the liquid on the filament, the funnel is restricted so as to provide a venturi effect as at 60. After emerging from the funnel, the filament moves through the coagulating bath for the desired time, or distance, and is then passed around guide roll 62 and over godet wheels 42.

The swirling of coagulating bath liquid around the onis normally generated in the coagulating bath and thus reduces the opportunity for this gas to react with the other chemicals present to form free sulphur which has a tendency to deposit on the filament.

Since this invention relates to the rotation of the spinnerette, the circulation of the liquid, and the discharge of the liquid tangentially against the rotating spinnerette, only these parts have been shown and described in detail and only that much of a thread understanding of the invention.

What I claim is:

l. A synthetic thread manufacturing apparatus including a coagulating bath, a spinnerette located above said spinnerette intake side ofsaid'pump to said bath, and a pipe leading bath,"means for rotating said spinnerette about its longitudinal axis, a fixed funnel-like member enclosing the discharge end of the spinnerette, a tubular member depending from said funnel-like member, with its lower end immersed in said bath, for enclosing a freshly coagulated filament as it moves from the discharge end of the tosaid bath, a pump, a pipe connecting the of said pump to the interior 015 said funnel-like member, the end of said last mentioned pipe being so arranged as to discharge coagulating liquid tangentially against said spinnerette.

2. The structure recited in claim 1 ih'which the lower from the discharge side 1,366,162 Clayton Jan. 18, 1921 2,046,670 Beattey July 7, 1936 2,154,893 Eisenhut Apr. 18, 1939 2,536,092 Roberts Ian. 2, 1951 

1. A SYNTHETIC THREAD MANUFACTURING APPARATUS INCLUDING A COAGULATING BATH, A SPINNERETE LOCATED ABOVE SAID BATH, MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID SPINNERETTE ABOUT ITS LONGITUDINAL AXIS, A FIXED FUNNEL-LIKE MEMBER ENCLOSING THE DISCHARGE END OF THE SPINNERETTE, A TUBULAR MEMBER DEPENDING FROM SAID FUNNEL-LIKE MEMBER, WITH ITS LOWER END IMMERSED IN SAID BATH, FOR ENCLOSING A FRESHLY COAGULATED FILAMENT AS IT MOVES FROM THE DISCHARGE END OF THE SPINNERETTE TO SAID BATH, A PUMP, A PIPE CONNECTING THE INTAKE SIDE OF SAID PUMP TO SAID BATH, AND A PIPE LEADING FROM THE DISCHARGE SIDE OF SAID PUMP TO THE INTERIOR OF SAID FUNNEL-LIKE MEMBER, THE END OF SAID LAST MENTIONED PIPE BEING SO ARRANGED AS TO DISCHARGE COAGULATING LIQUID TANGENTIALLY AGAINST SAID SPINNERETTE. 